Should Joshua be allowed to train at the GB boxing headquarters?

[Crease]

Should Joshua be allowed to train at the GB boxing headquarters a part Government funded facility? Essentially he is using (part) tax payers money to train.

personally speaking, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I'd rather have a top professional athlete there actually using the facilities for 2 reasons.

1. As someone has already pointed out;

He is an inspiration for all the team gb and it's a dream having him around the place for all the boxers.

I agree with this. He would be a real shining example of how far a boxer can go when he puts his mind to it and works hard, surely there can be no greater motivation than that.

2. Again I agree with this;

Keep Britain at the top of boxing by giving our world champions / title challengers the best facilities possible.

Joshua, as World Heavyweight Champion and ranked Number One in the world should have the best of everything. The guy is flying the flag better than anyone has in a long while. He is leading the way for other English, Scottish, Welsh & Irish fighters who are coming in line behind him.

I tend to equate this in my mind to the issue of St George's Park. It's a really great facility, it will prove to be worth every penny, with all the years and years that England will get out of it. But the question remained the day-to-day use of it, and it was decided to allow the local team - Burton Albion to use it.

These high-tech top-notch facilities should always be used, it's better then leaving them sitting there dormant. What is the point otherwise?

[TopGun]

Should Joshua be allowed to train at the GB boxing headquarters a part Government funded facility? Essentially he is using (part) tax payers money to train.

personally speaking, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I'd rather have a top professional athlete there actually using the facilities for 2 reasons.

1. As someone has already pointed out;

He is an inspiration for all the team gb and it's a dream having him around the place for all the boxers.

I agree with this. He would be a real shining example of how far a boxer can go when he puts his mind to it and works hard, surely there can be no greater motivation than that.

2. Again I agree with this;

Keep Britain at the top of boxing by giving our world champions / title challengers the best facilities possible.

Joshua, as World Heavyweight Champion and ranked Number One in the world should have the best of everything. The guy is flying the flag better than anyone has in a long while. He is leading the way for other English, Scottish, Welsh & Irish fighters who are coming in line behind him.

I tend to equate this in my mind to the issue of St George's Park. It's a really great facility, it will prove to be worth every penny, with all the years and years that England will get out of it. But the question remained the day-to-day use of it, and it was decided to allow the local team - Burton Albion to use it.

These high-tech top-notch facilities should always be used, it's better then leaving them sitting there dormant. What is the point otherwise?

Some good points but some incorrect ones too. Joshua had access to this from day 1 before he was a world champ whereas the likes of Sexton didnt and they were ranked higher. Is that fair? Surely they would get more motivation from training alongside a seasoned pro than a novice professional with a dodgy gold medal?

The facilities would not be left dormant if Joshua was not there. They have full time male and female boxers in there. You would have a better argument to say him being there is doing the opposite, putting more pressure on resources to keep him happy.

[TheGman]

Joshua is the king of England so let him train where he wants. He is an inspiration for all the team gb and it's a dream having him around the place for all the boxers. Only jealous people giving out about this

Joshua is king of the fckin world mate not just england,he is the cash cow of the heavyweight division

[jamamb]

'only jealous ppl' is such a fornicating 8 year old's argument. grow your brain the fuckk up son let me guess, your favourite word is 'hater' and you use it way too much?

but no prob for me with josh training there

[leejonesjnr]

Should he be allowed, well, probably not as its not a facility open to other boxers.
HOWEVER, who really cares? I doubt any other boxers are upset about it, everyone trains where they train and thats that.

[Nightmare Roy]

Surely it's a good thing, the ams will see him and be inspired and also see the graft it takes to get to that level, I'm all for it.

[Switch hitter]

So should Tyson Fury have access

He would never train there......

Thats not the point, he meets your criteria....

Yeah .... sure he could train there. The experience for the GB squad would be huge

[lillywhite14]

Yep. Anyone who’s achieved so much for the GB boxing squad should be allowed to come and go as they please...providing they don’t disrupt the ams.

Success breeds success doesn’t it?

Should Whyte train there? Should Fury? If they ask and are encouraged to train there then I don’t see why not.
Joyce will be popping in often you can bet your bollocks on that, and rightly so. Look at his am achievements!

[adamwillan]

Leave him be. I also train there in the regular gym, and it is good seeing him around.

We have no idea if he makes a contribution mind

[Loynesy]

I think most people are missing the point slightly. It's not about Joshua, but McCracken. Rob could make a lot more money as a purely professional trainer, instead, as a sweetener to running the elite amateur boxing (which surely no one could question his credentials and success), he's allowed a pro to train. Froch spent a lot of time up there, and now Joshua does the same. They are merely training where their trainer has his day job.

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

There's a bigger issue here....

Ask yourselves this. Why is Team GB's headquarters spoken of by many in the amateur code as Matchrooms second home?

Think on that for a while and reflect on the tens of millions pumped into the system, how it's spent and who it really benefits?

Whilst Rob McCracken has happily eaten from both amateur and professional pots for many years, Richie Woodhall rides shotgun as a Consultant Coach to the amateur set up, commentates on amateur boxing and now as the man charged with handling footballer Rio Ferdinands boxing debut should be asked to make up his mind which camp he wants both feet in?
Amateur boxing could have benefited greatly should Rio have been steered toward a couple of amateur contests but he hasn't and i'll have my house on press coverage showing Rio sparring at the Sheffield facility any time soon.

In short, whilst the strong argument made for the spin off benefits of Anthony Joshuas appearance in the GB gym is unquestioned it's a question of whether other professional boxers should be allowed access to a taxpayer funded facility and if so what's the criteria for getting such permission
Another rather well know promoter/manager has already said as much in his newspaper column

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

I think most people are missing the point slightly. It's not about Joshua, but McCracken. Rob could make a lot more money as a purely professional trainer, instead, as a sweetener to running the elite amateur boxing (which surely no one could question his credentials and success), he's allowed a pro to train. Froch spent a lot of time up there, and now Joshua does the same. They are merely training where their trainer has his day job.

Do you actually know what Rob McCrackens earning at Team GB?

I'd like to know a pro trainer who's over the 6 figure mark!

[KiwiRider]

If you were a young Am in training,and you saw AJ training in the gym, would that not motivate you?
It's like a celebrity endorsement as in- this is the place to be the best.
Worth every penny to have him there IMO.

[rio]

So if Joe Joyce and Hate rocked up would they be allowed to train there? Equally decorated amateurs...... Why shouldn't they be allowed there to take advantage of the top class facilities and resources?? It can not be one rule for aj and another for everyone else.

[Controversial]

Is it really that different to any gym? I mean what is in a gym? A ring or 2, a few different bags, a couple of timers etc.

Does he access anything else whilst up there?

Yes, accommodation, nutritionists, physios, sports psychologists etc. All at the top of their field.

I think they also have a state of the art machine that simulates being at altitude. Personally I don’t care if he trains there and others don’t, AJ must pay more tax than all of us here put together, plus he was an Olympian and current world champ. He generates more money than any other British fighter. Why not give him the best, I’m sure he contributes more than his fair share. I doubt they could open the doors to any fighter who wants to go either.

[3132DW]

The only person pissing and moaning about it is FW - that’s because hardly any of the Olympic Boxers signed with him.

Would he be saying that if Kelly/Buatsi were on BT - no he’s just a bitter twisted old git who hates anyone else being successful if he’s not benefitting.

[paddy chavez]

This is a good thing for to many years pros and amateurs were kept completely separate an amateur could be banned if he trained in a pro gym which was one reason we generally didn't do well in amateur comps now they mix and we have more world class amateurs and professionals world champions .

[paddy chavez]

If you were a young Am in training,and you saw AJ training in the gym, would that not motivate you?
It's like a celebrity endorsement as in- this is the place to be the best.
Worth every penny to have him there IMO.

[danconnollyeire]

I'm sure he pays tax too.....and he's the heavyweight champion of the world...... so why not.

So should Tyson Fury have access too?

So do I, where my free membership to the jacuzzi?

[danconnollyeire]

i think to get rob on board they allowed him 1 pro boxer (froch)

he retired then it was announced Josh was his new boxer

Joshua pretended Simms was his coach for first 10 or so fights

That's actually a hilarious but stunningly accurate analysis of his coaching situation

[danconnollyeire]

I don't see an issue with it but I think other, British world level fighters should be allowed to use the facilities free of charge.

Keep Britain at the top of boxing by giving our world champions/title challengers the best facilities possible.

Why would the Sport England/Government give free reign to paid professionals to use it, just so we can have a few more decent paid professionals. Where's the ROI?

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

Why do I get the impression that most of the people commenting on this thread in support of selected professional boxers using a facility set up for the amateur code are the very same people who would welcome AJ appearing in the Olympics so we can win some silverware, puff our chests out and stuff the dreams and ambitions of the dedicated AMATEUR who's place he would have taken?

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

If you were a young Am in training,and you saw AJ training in the gym, would that not motivate you?
It's like a celebrity endorsement as in- this is the place to be the best.
Worth every penny to have him there IMO.

If your good enough to get to Team GB, good enough to be paid to box for your country then you don't need AJ training alongside you.

Don't get me wrong, there are obvious benefits and I don't have a problem with the theory of him training at Sheffield, it's the biased professional interference that rankles.

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

The only person pissing and moaning about it is FW - that’s because hardly any of the Olympic Boxers signed with him.

Would he be saying that if Kelly/Buatsi were on BT - no he’s just a bitter twisted old git who hates anyone else being successful if he’s not benefitting.

FW signed swiped Daniel Dubois from under the noses of Team GB. DD having floored AJ in sparring so I doubt he's losing too much sleep over it

[TopGun]

The only person pissing and moaning about it is FW - that’s because hardly any of the Olympic Boxers signed with him.

Would he be saying that if Kelly/Buatsi were on BT - no he’s just a bitter twisted old git who hates anyone else being successful if he’s not benefitting.

FW signed swiped Daniel Dubois from under the noses of Team GB. DD having floored AJ in sparring so I doubt he's losing too much sleep over it

I wonder how Aj reacted to being floored by Dubois. It must dent his confidence dont you think?